This Hurricane:

This TV show:

This actor of stage and screen:

This tea:

This song:

This sandwich:

This baseball manager:

This basketball player:

Emergency Managers say Twitter and Facebook being used differently [In Case of Emergency ... Read Blog]
Our own Gloria Huang is quoted here discussing how different our Twitter and Facebook communities are from one another.

As Hurricane Earl approaches, @CraigatFEMA uses a little humor [In Case of Emergency ... Read Blog]
Do you find humor refreshing? Or should we keep our Boy Scout earnestness?

Want to help disaster relief efforts? Make your gift unrestricted [Bob Ottenhoff Blog]
There are already many organizations in Pakistan working diligently to help, and they’ve had to reach into their operating budgets or disaster-relief funds to provide this aid. [...] And once their work in Pakistan is over, they’ll need resources to respond to the next unanticipated emergencies, particularly in the early hours, when quick action can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Hurricane Danielle is currently a Category Four storm with winds of 135 mph. She is projected to travel well east of Bermuda and not make landfall in the US. Forecasters are predicting dangerous waves and rip tides all along the coast over the next several days.

If you’re planning a trip to an east coast beach this weekend, please brush up on these tips:

• Be aware of how dangerous rip currents are.
• Swim only at beaches with lifeguards in the designated swimming area.
• If you are caught in a rip current, stay calm and don’t fight the current.
• Swim parallel to shore until free of the current.
• Once free, turn and swim toward shore.
• If you feel that you won’t make it in to the shore, draw attention to yourself by waving and calling for help.
• If you see someone in trouble, get help from a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1. Throw the swimmer something that floats – a lifejacket, cooler, inflatable ball, and yell instructions on how to escape the current.
• When at the beach, check conditions before you enter the water. Check to see if any warning flags are up or ask a lifeguard about water conditions, beach conditions, or any potential hazards.

For more information on Rip Currents, please visit NOAA and United States Lifesaving Association.

Red Cross begins massive SMS campaign in Port-au-Prince [ReliefWeb]
The Red Cross is this week sending hundreds of thousands of SMS across Port-au-Prince in an effort to help people prepare themselves for the hurricane season.

First Aid Kit [MySpace]
Swedish folk group aiming for hearts instead of charts. You can buy a physical first aid kit from us here.

Ella [YouTube]
This is the story of Ella, a Sierra Leone Red Cross Society employee.

Pakistan Floods [YouTube]
You can donate via American Red Cross

Wordless Wednesday [Heritage Zen]
World War I Red Cross volunteers standing in front of St. Mary’s Church (Our Lady of Czestochowa), in Worcester, MA.

Archives Reveal [Smithsonian Institute blog]
During World War I, Woodrow and Edith Wilson kept a flock of sheep on the White House grounds to save costs to cut the grass, The wool was also auctioned off to raise money for the Red Cross.

I can see the headline now… [Columbus Red Cross chapter blog]
I felt a strong responsibility to tell gawkers, including my own family, to find shelter instead of watching this funnel cloud turn up in the sky on a warm evening in August while vacationing on Lake Erie – I work for the Red Cross after all.

9 year old hero saves drowning brother [ABC]
A 9-year-old boy is being credited with saving his 2-year-old brother’s life in a swimming pool accident in Joliet, Illinois, thanks to a life-saving CPR class. Take a class today.

California to deploy nation’s first mass mobile alert system [Government Technology]
California and Sprint have officially joined forces to spearhead the nation’s first mass mobile alert system, which means warnings about terrorist attacks, wildfires, hurricanes, school shootings and other emergency situations could soon be at citizens’ fingertips.

A rare fire tornado filmed in Brazil [BBC]
A ‘fire tornado’ has been caught on camera in the Brazilian municipality of Aracatuba, caused by strong, dry winds that fanned wildfires. A whirlwind of flames spiralling several metres high danced across fields, bringing traffic to a halt on a nearby road, before it disappeared. The phenomenon followed weeks of drought which have sparked brush fires across the country.

• Time to perform CPR on Mad Men [Chicago Chapter]
• Danger Will Robinson, Danger! [Greater Salt Lake Area Chapter]
• Eternal Optimism of the American Mind [Louisville Chapter]
• Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts [Oregon Trail Chapter]
• Shipping Supplies to Iowa [St. Louis Chapter]

That squirrel even got into some of our preparedness posters:

This week in 2008 Tropical Storm Fay was born, a dam burst in the Grand Canyon, and we were starting to really see the value of Twitter.

This week in 2007 the Red Cross Blog didn’t exist yet – but it would enter our lives a week later on August 28th! Check out our first post.

• Ice Cream + Volunteerism = The Perfect Combo [Tallahassee Chapter]
• Toast Emergency! [Oregon Trail Chapter]
• Are you Duct Tape Savvy? [Louisville Chapter]

Spaghetti models for Invest 97L

It’s hard for any of us to be cool this week. You know, because of the heat wave!

Here are some tips to help you try, though:

>> Find a CPR course near you today! Most chapters offer adult, infant, and pet CPR.